Alexi Casilla on the baserunning mistake that ended the game

Alexi Casilla had been out with an injured finger and had not played in a game since last Sunday. He wasn’t in this one too long today.

Entering in the last of the ninth as a pinch runner, Casilla was doubled off first base on a Ryan Flaherty lineout to right to end today’s game as the Orioles lost 5-4 to the Red Sox.

He didn’t lose track of the outs it turns out, but he clearly didn’t track the ball too well.

“Flaherty hit that ball very good,” Casilla said. “He crushed that over my head. I started running and looked where Victorino was playing and said, ‘No chance he’s going to get that ball.’ I kept running, bad read.

“That was bad baserunning, the worst baserunning in the game, but tomorrow might be a different story. Keep my chin up and be ready to play tomorrow.

“I thought it was going to sink to the line. Said, good chance to score here and tie the game.”

So what were his emotions after that play ended the game?

“We lost the game. Hopefully, it won’t happen again,” he said.

After missing time with the injury, it had to be frustrating to get in as a pinch runner today and see the game end that way.

“A little frustrating. I know I had a good week, the last week. Kind of tough and frustrating. I’m getting better, and I think I’m going to be able to play tomorrow hopefully,” Casilla said.

Meanwhile, Matt Wieters felt the O’s failed to maximize their first-inning rally against John Lackey and settled for two runs.

“We had some situations early in the game, I know it would have been nice to get another run across in the first,” he said. “It’s a game where all the little things add up at the end, and we fell short today.

“Flash (Flaherty) took a couple of real good swings, and he really hit the ball good. Alexi read it as a ball that might be over his head. If it does get over his head, he scores from first to tie the game, but it happened to be right at him.”

Freddy Garcia was not happy about the missed call by home plate umpire Jeff Nelson in the fourth inning. Dustin Pedroia appeared to swing and miss at a pitch for strike three, but it was ruled a foul tip. Given another chance, he singled two batters ahead of a Mike Carp two-run homer.

“In the fourth inning, that was a really bad call and I lost a little of my concentration,” Garcia said. “That shouldn’t happen, I’ve been around so long. My emotions should not take me out of the game, but it did for a little bit. I knew for sure I struck out Pedroia, but you have to continue to pitch.

“When you face a lineup like that, one thing can change the game. He should be out. It changed the game. Nothing you can do about it. Just have to try to continue to do the best you can.”

Garcia was asked about following one good outing with a bad one.

“I want to be consistent and I’m not,” he said.

When T.J. McFarland retired the first four batters in relief today, it extended the number of Boston hitters the O’s bullpen faced consecutively without allowing a hit or walk to 34. According to STATS, it is the longest streak by the O’s bullpen since 1974.